(a) The licensure provisions set forth in this article do not
apply to:

(1) Any person:

(A) Carrying a deadly weapon upon his or her own premises;

(B) Carrying a firearm, unloaded, from the place of purchase
to his or her home, residence or place of business or to a place of
repair and back to his or her home, residence or place of business;
or

(C) Possessing a firearm while hunting in a lawful manner or
while traveling from his or her home, residence or place of
business to a hunting site and returning to his or her home,
residence or place of business;

(2) Any person who is a member of a properly organized
target-shooting club authorized by law to obtain firearms by
purchase or requisition from this state or from the United States
for the purpose of target practice from carrying any pistol, as
defined in this article, unloaded, from his or her home, residence
or place of business to a place of target practice and from any
place of target practice back to his or her home, residence or
place of business, for using any such weapon at a place of target
practice in training and improving his or her skill in the use of
the weapons;

(3) Any law-enforcement officer or law-enforcement official as defined in section one, article twenty-nine, chapter thirty of this
code;

(4) Any employee of the West Virginia Division of Corrections
duly appointed pursuant to the provisions of section eleven-c,
article one, chapter twenty-five of this code while the employee is
on duty;

(5) Any member of the armed forces of the United States or the
militia of this state while the member is on duty;

(6) Any resident of another state who holds a valid permit or
license to possess or carry a handgun issued by a state or a
political subdivision subject to the provisions and limitations set
forth in section six-a of this article;

(7) Any federal law-enforcement officer or federal police
officer authorized to carry a weapon in the performance of the
officer's duty;

(8) Any Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority Ranger
while the ranger is on duty; and

(9) Any parole officer appointed pursuant to section fourteen,
article twelve, chapter sixty-two of this code in the performance
of their duties.

(b) On and after July 1, 2013, the following judicial officers
and prosecutors and staff shall be exempted from paying any
application fees or licensure fees required under this article.
However, on and after that same date, they shall be required to
make application and satisfy all licensure and handgun safety and training requirements set forth in section four of this article
before carrying a concealed handgun in this state:

(1) Any justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West
Virginia;

(2) Any circuit judge;

(3) Any retired justice or retired circuit judge designated
senior status by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia;

(4) Any family court judge;

(5) Any magistrate;

(6) Any prosecuting attorney;

(7) Any assistant prosecuting attorney; or

(8) Any duly appointed investigator employed by a prosecuting
attorney.
Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2014 1st Special Session
The WV Code Online is an unofficial copy of the annotated WV Code, provided as a convenience. It has NOT been edited for publication, and is not in any way official or authoritative.